Insulating material and process of manufacturing same.



I I .ner.

UNITJLII S' ATES -PATENT OFFICE.

JOHANN BILLWILLER, or GOLDACH, SWITZERLAND.

INSULATING MATERIAL AND PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING SAME.

Patented Sept. 18, 1906,

Application filed April 19, 1904- Serial No. 203,983-

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHANN BILLWILLER, chemist, a citizen of Switzerland, residing at Goldach, Switzerland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Insulating Material and Process of Manufacturing Same, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and imroved insulating material in the form of hard blocks or plates and to aprocess for manufacturing same. The new insulating material comprises finely-distributed eg table fibers in a raw or cured conditioii'm pii'iiture wiith otli''r hsubstanbes of good insqating qua it suc as mica ma nesia, su fur, and oth r materials, the particles of said nnxture being cemented together by magnesia in unclinkered condition, said magnesia forming the sole hydrating cement present in the insulating-blocks. This may exist in the form of oxid and hydroxid of magnesium without using precious cements, such as resins, or hygroscopic cements, such as chlorid of magnesium. I make an aqueous paste of the 2 5 mixed substances and then press it in molds, taking care that the pressure is continued till the mass is hardened. If pressure is only employed for a moment or a short time sufficient to bring the paste into shape, tlfe hard- 0 ness of the produced blocks is not sufficient for actual use of the blocks without adding cements of high cementing quality, such as qhlor'nd of magnesium. However, the known cemenm are hygrosco ic, so that the insulating quality of the bloc s containing such cements is highly reduced in moist atmosphere.

If I wish to further raise the insulating quality of the material obtained from com- 40 pounds of insulating substances cemented together by means of magnesia, using a continued pressure, I impregnate the blocks with suitable liquids adapted to deposit insulating material in the pores of the insulating blocks. Suit able liquids for the purpose are vegetable, and, still better, mineral oils. If I employ oils as impregnating liquid, I may add substances, such as sogpsof aluminium, which reduce the combustibility of the oils. However, care must be taken that the tenac ity of the liquid is not too much raised by the solution of such substances in the oil, because the oil in a thick condition does not penetrate into the pores. So I in most cases 5 5 can only add up to five to ten peneerit of soap of aluminium to the oil. Although this addition has only a small influence on the combustibility of the oil, it has proved valuable still in so far that it reduces the water-absorbing quality, which is already consider- ()0 ably diminished by the impregnation with oils, and that it raises the insulating pro erty of the blocks. Instead of liquids inten ed to be deposited themselves with n the pores of the insulating-blocks produced in the described manner I can use solutions of insulating substances, such as sulfur, which deposit the dissolved insulating substances when the solvent is evaporated. It is advisable to use solutions of high liquid property, such as ,solutions of sulfur in sulfuret of carbon, in order to facilitate the penetrating of the solution into the pores of the insulating-blocks.

If I impregnate the blocks with solutions of insulating substances adapted to deposit insulating material in the pores of the insulilting-blocks, I may use in the compounds fOIIDlIl the paste from which the blocks are moldecI an admixture of such insulating sub stances, which are ada ted to be dissolved in the impregnating liquid. hen doing a finer distribution of such insulating ma frial within the blocks is effected by the impregnation. So I may add to the said compound from which the insulating-blocks are molded sulfur if I use a solution of sulfur as impregnating liquid.

If it is desired to obtain insulating-blocks having a prescribed color, I may add coloring substances to the paste from which the blocks are molded, r I may dissolve suitable dyestufi's in the hquid which I use for the impregnation of the blocks after pressing.

In a preferred form of performing my new process I proceed as follows: I make a dry 5 mixture of five parts, in weight, of sawdust. five parts of ulverized mica. am ur eon parts of oxi o 111:1"1165111111. After thoroughlynuxmg these components the compound ismoistened with water to apasty mass 1 co and molded to blocks or plates with a ressure oi aBout four hundred kilograin per square centimeter. This pressure is exerted on the mass till it is hardened-that is to say,

for some twelve to sixteen hours. After 10 5 pressing, theplates and blocks are dried and then im re ated with mineral 0111mming mlfi'mlmimum dissolved in it. However, 'the impregnam process may be dispensed with if it is not re- 1 1 o quired to obtain a material having a higher insulating power than five thousand to ten thousand volts for plates of about ten millimeters of thickness. The insulating power of the material thoroughly impregnated with oil having soap of aluminium dissolved in it is about fifty thousand to sixty thousand volts for plates of ten millimeters of thickness. 7

By the term block as used in the specification and claims I of course include a mass of insulating material of any desired shape and size.

What I claim is- 1. An insulating-block of pulverulent material cemented together by a hydrating magfinely-divided vegetable fiber, mica nesia cement, and 1m regnated with oil.

2. An insulatingb ock of pulverulent material cemented together by a hydrating magnesia cement, and impregnated with a mineral oil.

3. An insulating-block of pulverulent material cemented together by a hydrating magnesia cement, and impregnated with oil and soap of aluminium.

4. A solid block of insulating material conand magnesia, said magnesia forming the W 974M ZN I 424/, 7

and subjecting the blocks to pressure during hardening.

8. The process of making solid insulatingblocks, which comprises forming a moistened mixture of finely-divided vegetable fiber and oxid of magnesium, and continuously pressing the blocks until they are hardened.

9. The process of making solid insulatingblocks, which comprises forming a moistened mixture of finely-divided vegetable fiber, mica and oxid of magnesium, and continuously pressing the blocks until they are hardened.

10. The process of making solid insulatingblocks, which com rises forming a moistened mixture of finely- 'vided vegetable fiber and oxid of magnesium, continuously pressing the blocks until they are hardened, and thereafter impregnating the blocks with liquids adapted to deposit insulating substances in the pores of said blocks.

1 1. The process of making solid insulatingblocks, which comprises forming a moistened mixture of finelydivided vegetable fiber, mica and oxid of magnesium, continuously pressing the blocks until they are hardened,

and thereafter impre nating the blocks with liquids adapted to eposit insulating substances in the pores of said blocks.

12. The process of making solid insulatingblocks, which com rises forming a moistened mixture of finelyivided vegetable fiber and oxid of magnesium, continuously pressing the blocks until they are hardened, drying the blocks, and impregnating them with liquids adapted to de osit insulating substances in the pores of sai blocks.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

J OHANN BILLWILLER.

Witnesses:

Josnrn SmoN, HERNANDO DE SOTO. 

